Apr. 4, 2010
The PGA TOUR heads to Texas for the Shell Houston Open this week. Here's how the PGATOUR.COM experts size up the top contenders.
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EXPERT PICKS
How it works: Our experts from PGATOUR.COM select the player they think will win this week's event. By using a draft process, no two picks can be the same. The player who wins the previous week picks last the following week.
SLEEPER PICKS
Of the players who didn't make the cut for our top picks, which have the best chance as sleepers? Here's how our experts see it. Click here |
| MORE SHELL HOUSTON OPEN: Power Rankings | Inside the Field | Inside the course | FANTASY GOLF: Play our game -- FREE! |
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| Expert picks: Shell Houston Open |
Casey
Black |
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ERNIE ELS. I chose Els because he's on a hot streak. He's also gearing up for the Masters, a major he would certainly like to win for the first time.
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Anne
Szeker |
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MATT KUCHAR. My first pick, Paul Casey, withdrew prior to the first round. Kuchar is coming off a tie for third at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, but he hasn't played since then.
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| If Szeker had the top pick ... Els |
Mike
McAllister |
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GEOFF OGILVY. Yes, he's been off form since winning the season-opening SBS Championship, but Houston has been kind to him the last two years with two top-six finishes.
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| If McAllister had the top pick ... Ogilvy |
John
Swantek |
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PADRAIG HARRINGTON. The Irishman says he's been spending 95 percent of his practice time on his short game. That will serve him well around those tightly mowed green complexes at Redstone, where he's finished inside the top 26 three straight years. |
| If Swantek had the top pick ... Harrington |
Brian
Wacker |
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HUNTER MAHAN. He tied for 11th last year and has three top-15s in his last four starts in Houston. That's consistency that's hard to argue with. |
| If Wacker had the top pick ... Els |
Lauren
Deason |
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PHIL MICKELSON. He let me down last week, so I'm reluctant to pick him again. But he's the best of the guys left and it's actually a win-win situation -- he'll either contend or do poorly, in which case I could get a higher pick for next week's Masters.
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| If Deason had the top pick ... Els |
Ryan
Smithson |
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ANTHONY KIM. He is a total wild card who will either finish third or miss the cut. He's had a decent year, but I really was hoping Hunter Mahan would be on the board when I picked. Mahan's the man to beat.
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| If Smithson had the top pick ... Mahan |
Nick
Zaccardi |
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LEE WESTWOOD. I'll take the Englishman for the third time in 2010. Seeing as I'm in first place, the Westwood strategy has worked well. He has a second and a third on the European Tour this year and tied for 11th in Houston last year.
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| If Zaccardi had the top pick ... Els |
Helen
Ross |
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FRED COUPLES. I don't care where he's been playing, Couples is hot. He's been 2-1-1-1 in his last four events on the Champions Tour and hasn't shot higher than 72 in two PGA TOUR events.
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| If Ross had the top pick ... Els |
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| Standings after Week 12 |
LAST WEEK: Helen Ross picked up a W at Bay Hill thanks to Ernie Els, but Nick Zaccardi continues his reign at No. 1:
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| Position |
Name |
Wins |
Top-5s |
Top-10s |
Top-25s |
FedExCup points |
| 1 |
Nick Zaccardi
Associate Site Producer. PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
4 |
8 |
10 |
1330.33 |
| 2 |
Brian Wacker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
1110.43 |
| 3 |
Ryan Smithson
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
991.5 |
| 4 |
Mike McAllister
Managing Editor, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
889.49 |
| 5 |
Lauren Deason
Editorial Coordinator, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
886 |
| 6 |
Helen Ross
Chief of Correspondents, PGATOUR.COM |
1 |
- |
1 |
6 |
871.1 |
| 7 |
John Swantek
Host, PGA TOUR Today |
- |
- |
1 |
5 |
347.08 |
| 8* |
Anne Szeker
Site Producer, PGATOUR.COM |
- |
1 |
- |
1 |
166 |
| 9* |
Casey Black
Host, PGA TOUR Today |
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- |
- |
- |
- |
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